Report published: ‘Mealtime Stories’ – how food interventions can support children’s, young people’s, and families’ wellbeing

Read our flash report on the 'Mealtime Stories' event, held during the ALLIANCE Digital Gathering 2022.

Food insecurity has an enormous impact on children’s and young people’s health and wellbeing, both within and outwith their households. However, food does not only support wellbeing on a nutritional level; eating with others supports wellbeing, because sharing meals with others holds a powerful social dimension.

Following the theme of this year’s ALLIANCE Digital Gathering, ‘The Year of Storytelling’, the Children and Young people Programme hosted a networking event titled ‘Mealtime Stories.’ The event’s provocation for our speakers and participants was to think about how eating together supports people to get adequate nutrition, but also creates a powerful space to share stories, promoting intergenerational knowledge exchange and fostering social relations across age groups. The event also showcased what is already being done in our sector to address food insecurity, and provided an opportunity to share learning on what more can be done to support children, young people, and families to have adequate and sufficient access to food.

After hearing from keynote speakers Bella Kerr (Intergenerational Development Officer, Generations Working Together – this link will take you away from our website) and Kevin Burke (Project Manager, Govan Youth Information Project – this link will take you away from our website), participants joined smaller discussions in breakout rooms, followed by some closing remarks by the participants and speakers.

The ALLIANCE, and many of our members, have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and shone a light on already existing inequalities, and food insecurity is just one of these areas. When thinking specifically of children and young people, loss of household income, lack of access to school meals, and social isolation were just some of things that had particular impact on people’s access to adequate and sufficient food, particularly if they were already struggling before the start of the pandemic.

The ALLIANCE has recently outlined some recommendations in relation to food insecurity in Scotland, as well as other domains that have an impact on people’s ability to have adequate and sufficient diets, such as fuel poverty. To read more:

• ALLIANCE response to proposed Right to Food (Scotland) Bill
• ALLIANCE response to the proposed Fuel Poverty Strategy
• ALLIANCE response to the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Poverty’s inquiry into poverty-related stigma

What is evident is that the food policy landscape, and what people think of food and sharing meals, is complex and varied. It is indispensable for the vast and diverse expertise of actors across all sectors, and for the voice of lived experience, to be properly considered to ensure that adequate and equitable access to food for all is guaranteed in Scotland. Not only this, and as shown during the ‘Mealtime Stories’ event, food and sharing meals are also particularly important domains through which children and young people can play active roles in their communities, sharing knowledge and strengthening relationships. It is fundamental that this is also recognised and encouraged, to support wellbeing, both at a nutritional level and beyond.

You can access the flash report following the links below.

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